


Teach me your ways

by thesumofus



Category: Top Gear (UK) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Angst, Boarding School, M/M, Teaching
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-08-09 06:54:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7791271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesumofus/pseuds/thesumofus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jeremy is an English teacher in a rut. He has a job, supportive colleagues, bright minded pupils; everything but the desire to actually be there. </p><p>Teaching is second nature to James. He gives everything to his profession but can't manage to catch a break from constant unemployment.</p><p>When Jeremy opts out and James stands up to take his place it seems the pair still have a lot to learn, only from each other this time round.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Teach me your ways

**Author's Note:**

> In this chapter I reference Jeremy's ex-wife and children. I confess to know bupkis about Jeremy Clarkson's personal life and she's a right bitch in this story so to just make things simple she's completely fictional. The same could be said of all the characters in this story actually, however the may share some physical similarities with three T.V personalities I know ;) anyway that's the housekeeping over with so please do enjoy :))

"That's the fourth complaint this term Jeremy."

Jeremy looked up into his friend's disappointed features and couldn't help but feel like he was being told off by the headmaster, which he was. "Belby deserved it." Jeremy defended, raising his hands in mock surrender.

"That's what you said about Murdoch and Copperfield and Goldridge." Said Wilman consulting the diary upon his desk as if he had a catalog of his colleagues excuses, which Jeremy began to suspect he had.

"It was only a clip round the ear, back in my day-"

Wilman cut him off, "We're not in our day anymore mate and it's this sort of neanderthal behavior which is keeping boarding schools stuck in the stone age."

Jeremy crossed his arms and returned his best mate's resolute stare. They had made no progress in regards to this argument. Between the board and the hive of overprotective parent's there was only so much lenience Andy was prepared to give and between his own pigheadedness and lack of respect for authority there was only so much interfering Jeremy was willing to take. They had well and truly hit a stalemate.

Surprisingly, a sentiment reflected in Wilman's expression, Jeremy was the first to break. "Well fine, I see your minds made up, what'll my punishment be then?" He said in a huff.

Wilman rubbed a hand over his forehead before looking pleadingly at his friend, replying "I'm not going to punish you. I just need to understand why it was deemed necessary, were you just indulging your prehistoric tendencies or-" He cut off, rubbing a hand over his brow once more.

"Or?" Jeremy prodded.

Treading lightly, Wilman took a breath before completing his sentence "Or are you losing your touch." He looked on in dismay as Jeremy reacts in the fashion Wilman was so afraid of getting.

A mix of annoyance and hurt is "Me? Losing my touch, if anything it's the little brats who are getting more difficult." A riled Jeremy rebutted.

"You used to have no trouble with them before Jez. You engaged them, made it interesting. The only reason they're playing up now is that they're restless, they have nothing to sink their cavity riddled teeth into." Wilman, trying to appeal to Jeremy's reasonable side.

Yet Jeremy wasn't to be consoled so easily, "Look, I'm a English teacher not a bleeding dancing monkey. If you want them to be engaged put a telly in front of their snot nosed faces and let that teach them." Jeremy said, raising his voice slightly.

"Yeah and I'm sure the parents will be well chuffed with that." declared Wilman, in kind.

"Well at least you won't have any complaints over it's questionable disciplinary techniques."

"Jeremy-" Wilaman attempted, sensing their argument was getting out of hand.

"No you're right, maybe I'm not cut out for this teaching lark. Andy, I quit." Jeremy stated defiantly.

"Very funny." Andy said sarcastically.

"No I mean it. It's only a matter of time before I kill one of the little blighters anyway, better off to leave now before the worst happens."

"You can't quit Jeremy-" Andy kept a weary smile still unsure whether or not this was still all a joke.

"I can and I will, this is my two weeks notice sorry it's not in writing and don't expect the term tests to be marked either."

"Jeremy think about this you can't-" But he was already up and headed for the door

"Don't need to think about it." Jeremy quipped back, hand on the door knob.

"Jeremy listen," Andy interrupts in his sternest teacher voice and Jeremy's hand falters, "You really can't quit. Where will you live?"

Andy sees it in Jeremy's eyes as the train finally derails. He slumps back into his chair fully aware that his friend was right. When Wilman came to his rescue late last year and offered him the teaching role it wasn't only a job but a solution. Recently divorced with no home and no income it really was his only option. Which is not to say that Jeremy didn't enjoy the work, in the beginning he had relished it. Not used to the separation of his children he gave his students his undivided attention. Yet the last couple of months the excitement had begun to wear thin. He missed his kids, his writing, his old way of life; everything his wife had taken away from him.

Jeremy sits back down, places his head in his hands, defeated. "I can't do this Andy. You're right something's missing and I can't bear it. I-I want to go home."

Wilman looked on desperately unsure how things got this bad. Eventually he replies, "Shit mate, I- listen this is what we'll do. I'll call in a sub for a term or two terms or however long you need just don't leave. Stay here at the school and you can concentrate on your writing or just have a holiday, god knows you need one, just till you get back on your feet or you wanna give teaching another shot."

Jeremy looked up and nodded solemnly, suddenly overwhelmed with a feeling of exhaustion he hadn't realised was there before. Andy gave him a long stare as if he was seeking out the shadowed parts of his friend's head through his own eyes. He must of been displeased with what he saw there as he repeats, almost to himself "Just until you get back on your feet."

♦♦♦

Jeremy is back in his quarters with little mind how he got there. The novelty of such mind blanks he used to marvel but nowadays he was purely grateful for their happenstance. That life's tediousness, such as walking through school hallways were, conveniently edited out of his jumbled recollection. Yet what he was left with afterwards wasn't much to smile about as he let the prospect of whiskey then bed occupy his thoughts.

However such comforts were quickly propelled out of his grasp as someone knocked on the door. He forcefully pulled it open to be met by a subdued Hammond. "You look like shit" Jeremy's best mate Richard flatly informed him.

"Thanks. You look considerably less bouncy than usual." Jeremy answered, stepping aside to let the man in. His suspicions of Hammond's vigour were presently answered as he watched the smaller man refrain himself from rising to Jeremy's bait to look at him wearily instead.

"Yeah well Wilman's just told me that you quit or are taking a break or whatever."

"News travels fast! I was just in fact about to celebrate, if you're free to join in some alcohol consumption?" Jeremy said stepping over to his kitchen and reaching out the coveted bottle of double malt. Hammond considers the amber liquid for a second, gives a small shake of his head and continues to read Jeremy the riot act.

"I know your stubborn Jez and it sucks taking orders but Wilman's not actually mad about this whole ear clipping business. He just got a bit of stick from some fuddy duddy parents that's all. There's no need to quit, just lay off the drill sergeant act for a month or two and it'll all blow over."

Jeremy pours himself a glass and returns to his armchair, sipping quietly. The pause is great enough that Hammond starts to doubt he'll get a reply at all. When his friend looks up at him it's like he has aged years in a matter of seconds, tired lines contradict his genial features. "I can't Hammond. It's not fair on the kids or Wilman or me for that matter if I keep on so I'm stopping, not forever just for as long as I need." Jeremy answers, dangerously quiet.

Richard walks over to the kitchen and returns with a drink. "You should of said something before mate." He said, cringing at his own nonchalance.

Jeremy smiles at his friend, it's sad but genuine "There's nothing wrong with me you ninny."

Richard tries his best to believe him. 

♦♦♦

This was useless, James thought to himself. The only reason he became a teacher in the first place was the fact that Job prospects for a man with a BA majoring in Music were abysmally low. Yet much use was that career move now as the same could be said of the teaching profession.

Well not the only reason, James recoursed his train of thought.

James relished in departing information. If not for the reason he liked the sound of his own voice, educated and reformed, then for his love of determining how something worked. Most of all James liked making sense of the world around him, like a car's engine with so many different mechanisms constantly at work to drive it forward. It didn't matter how often he took the engine apart, cleaned all it's bits and put it back together again. He would learn something new every single time, more so with a collection of bright, young, impressionable minds surrounding him.

Unfortunately, this feeling of empowerment was absent from James' psyche as he scrolled through another Job seeking website feeling all the more hopeless.

He was just about to give up and drown his sorrows in the wine the staff from his last school gave him as a leaving gift, when a listing caught his eye.

 **Secondary school English Teacher vacancy** , meals and accommodation included. 2 months fixed term, possibility of extended contract to be discussed at end of term. Please email your résumé to headmaster, Andy Wilman, andywilman@dunfoldgrammar.school.uk. Successful applicants will be invited to attend an interview.

James opened a new email, feeling a sense of optimism course through him for the first time in a long time.


End file.
